If you’re looking to boost your customer list and shout about your business you’ll no doubt have come across the terms marketing and advertising. Sometimes these terms are thrown around interchangeably so you might be wondering what the difference is, if any.
They’re both all about selling to potential customers so it’s easy to get confused between them. However, there are some key differences. Read on to find out.
What is marketing?
Marketing is a broad, umbrella term that refers to a whole range of actions and strategies that get your product or service in front of people.
Marketing refers to every way you reach and interact with a customer or potential customer. It has a lot of moving parts that require planning and strategy. Some elements include digital marketing, social media marketing and advertising.
What is advertising?
Advertising is a form of marketing that is usually paid for in order to specifically target potential customers. The main aims of advertising are to inform, persuade and remind people about your brand.
In order to start advertising you’ll need to produce adverts and then purchase advertising space. There is a huge range of advertising mediums for you to choose from including online adverts and banners, TV ads, radio and newspaper adverts and even the big billboards you see in town.
Advertising is usually the largest expense within a company’s marketing budget because purchasing the space needed for your advert is an ongoing and expensive cost.
Which one do you need to do?
We would recommend that a digital marketing strategy is a priority for any modern business who wants to operate online. Everyone is online and you should be too if you want to take advantage of everything new technology has to offer.
This means getting a website and using social media and blogging to organically pull over potential customers who can then buy from you or sign up. If you have the budget for it, then paid for advertising methods such as PPC or social media adverts can pull over more visitors that will hopefully convert into customers.
The tricky thing about digital marketing is that it’s not all about direct sales. While that’s the ultimate goal, digital marketing is also about spreading brand awareness and reach, making connections and setting the tone for your brand in public. That’s why advertising alone isn’t enough and marketing isn’t as simple as just throwing money at it.
Marketing as a whole needs to be considered if you want to get the most out of it and increase your customer lists. Besides budget, time is your most valuable resource to make marketing work. Put the time in and you will see results.
If you need any help with the digital marketing side of things, you can get in touch with Team Organic for a free website review and a quote.
